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Both Circular Economy and Sustainable Development are concepts that focus on resource efficiency. This involves a complex waste management process with a high degree of recycling and recovery. Rapid population growth and urbanization in developing countries have led to large amounts of solid waste and, consequently, increased environmental degradation of the environment. Designing resilient, sustainable materials and buildings by using recycled materials or industrial by-products, which can replace some or all of the cement, leads to the development of a sustainable, low-carbon economy and furthermore to the conservation of natural resources. Industry is developing at an accelerated pace, consequently the development of modern construction materials in the economic world is more than necessary. The aim of this research is to present preliminary results regarding the design of the alkali-activated fly ash-based geopolymer paving blocks produced using Romanian local raw materials, to present several parameters that affect their mechanical properties and to assess their intended use in terms of legislation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current global situation requires the efficient management of waste and the assessment of the potential for the implementation of the principles of the circular economy in order to conserve natural resources and reduce the negative impact on the environment. The aim of the research is to analyze the potential of non-woven products (mattresses) made of recycled polymer fibers, intended for use in the field of thermal insulation of buildings, in relation to their density and thickness. At the same time, the benefits obtained by combining them with products based on recycled waste and sheep wool were evaluated. The experimental results indicated good performance in terms of thermal conductivity coefficient and heat transfer resistance of the analyzed products, which can be successfully included in the category of heat-insulating materials. The correlation of thermal performance with the thickness and density of the products highlighted the need to deepen the analysis, these two parameters being insufficient for the design of such material. However, by combining mattresses made of recycled polymer fibers with mattresses made of recycled denim fibers and / or sheep wool, the benefits in terms of thermal insulation performance are obvious [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]